Device for unlocking and rotating a rotatable member



April 23, 1957 R. E. HUFF 2,789,443

DEVICE FOR UNLOCKING AND ROTATING A ROTATABLE MEMBER Filed Sept. 23, 1955 l NVENTOR RAYMOND E. HUFF BY M AZM III ,3

Arronuzv v ll United States Patent DEVICE FOR UNLOCKING AN D ROTATING A ROTATABLE MEMBER Raymond -E..'Hulf, Vancouver, British- Columbia, Canada Application September'23,I953, Serial No.'381,94'5

7 Claims. (Cl. 74-532) This invention relates to a device for unlocking and rotating a member and in particular to a device for operating a signal arm.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a device which, in one operation, will unlock a rotatable member and rotate same. In particular the invention is concerned with the unlocking and rotating of a signal arm but it will be understood that the arrangement can be used with other rotatable members, such as, for example, certain types of windows.

Such a device for unlocking and rotating a member which is pivotally mounted on a frame and which has a latch means thereon spaced a substantial distance from the pivot point to co-operate with a latch means pivotally mounted on said frame to lock the member in a predetermined position comprises means to rotate the latch means on said frame about its pivot point and thereby unlock said member, and means which is responsive to a pull thereon to operate said rotating means and to rotate said member any predetermined amount.

The invention will be more fully understood by the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof taken with the attached drawing, in which,

Figure l is a side elevation of a signal arm and the apparatus for unlocking and rotating same, and

Figure 2 is a top view of the signal arm and apparatus of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing, a signal arm 10 is pivotally mounted at 11 on a frame 12. If the signal arm is to be used on an automobile, the frame 12 may be mounted on the body thereof at any desired place through fastening means such as bolts 13. The signal arm 10 is fitted with a quadrant 14 which has a groove 15 around the outer curved surface thereof. A cable 16 is anchored in the signal arm 10 at 17 and extends from the anchor point 17 in the groove 15 around the quadrant 14 and through a tube 18 to an operating mechanism within the automobile. The cable extends substantially at right angles to the arm. This operating mechanism may take any desired form, and in certain forms of the invention such as for windows, there may be no operating mechanism since the unlocking .and rotating device may be operated by a direct manual pull on the cable 16.

In the embodiment shown in the drawing the operating mechanism comprises an operating lever 19 rotatable on a frame 20 having :a pawl 21 to engage notches 22 on a quadrant 23 to hold the signal arm 10 in difierent positions as desired.

A hook-shaped latch or keeper 24 is mounted on the signal arm 10 at a point which is a substantial distance from the pivot point 11. The latch 24 is normally engaged by a co-operating latch means 25 on one end of a lever 26 which is pivotally mounted at 27 on the frame 12 and extends substantially parallel with the cable. The other end of the lever 26 is fastened to the lower end of a link 28 which has its upper end looped over the cable 16. This looped end normally draws a bight of ice the cable towards the lever, as clearly shown in Figure l. A helical spring29 is connected between the frame 12 andtheend ofthe'lever -26to'which the link-28 is fastened. An arm3'0 having one end hingedly fixed to the frame 12 atiSL'holds the'linkage 28 in a substantially vertical position.

With the signal arm It} in its lowest position, as shown in the drawings, the latch 24 is engaged by the latch means 2'5so tihatthe arm 10 is locked. When it-is desired to lift the a'ImEIO, the operating lever 1'9 is moved clockwise so that the pawl 21 engages the desired notch 22. The initial pull exerted by the operation of the operating lever 19 takes up the slack in the cable 16 or, in other words, it tends to straighten out the cable. This causes the link 28 to move upwards which pivots the lever 26 counter-clockwise about its pivot 27 so that the latch means 25 disengages itself from the latch 24, and the signal arm 10 is thereby unlocked and is allowed to rotate a distance corresponding to the amount of rotation of the operating lever 19.

When the operating lever 19 is returned to its original position, the weight of the signal arm will cause the latter to return and the latch means 24 will re-engage the latch means 25 and the action of the spring 29 will maintain the locked condition of the signal arm 10.

Thus the arrangement described above and shown in the drawing permits a signal :arm 10 to be unlocked and rotated with the single operation of the operating lever 19.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A device for unlocking and rotating 2. member pivotally mounted on a support and having a normal position to which it is moved by gravity, comprising a quadrant secured to the member at the pivot thereof, a cable secured to the member and extending around the quadrant, a latch on the member spaced from its pivot, a latch lever pivotally mounted on the support having one end normally engaging the latch to lock the member in its normal position, and means engaging the cable and connected to the other end of the lever, whereby a pull on the cable to rotate the member first pivots the latch lever to free the latch.

2. A device for unlocking and rotating a member pivotally mounted on a support and having a normal position to which it is moved by gravity as claimed in claim 1 in which the means engaging the cable and connected to the lever comprises a link having a loop thereon through which the cable extends, said link being pivotally connected to the lever.

3. An unlocking and rotating device as claimed in claim 1 in which the cable extends from the quadrant substantially at right angles to the member, the latch lever is substantially parallel with the cable, and the means engaging the cable and connected to the lever is normal to the latter.

4. A device for unlocking and rotating 2. member pivotally mounted on a support and having a normal position to which it is moved by gravity as claimed in claim 3 including a spring connected at one end to the lever and at its opposite end to the frame normally resiliently retaining the lever end in position to engage the latch.

5. A device for unlocking and rotating a vehicle signal arm pivotally mounted 011 a support and normally hanging in a vertical position, comprising a quadrant se cured to the arm at the pivot thereof, a cable secured to the arm and extending around the quadrant, a latch on the arm spaced from its pivot, a latch lever pivotally mounted on the support extending substantially parallel to the cable, said lever having one end normally engaging the latch to lock the arm in its normal position, a link connected to the opposite end of the lever, and

- 1 2,789,448 a V r i hanging means engaging the cable, said link normally drawing a bight of the cable towards the lever, whereby a pull on the cable to rotate the arm first tends to straighten the cable causing the lever to pivot and free the latch.

6. A device for unlocking and rotating a member pivotally mounted on a support and having a normal position to which it is moved by gravity as claimed in claim 5 in which the cable extends outwardly substantially at right angles to the arm, and the link has a loop through which the cable slidably extends.

7. A device for unlocking and rotating a member pivotally mounted on a support and having a normal position to which it is moved by gravity as claimed in claim 4 6 in which the link is pivotally connected to the lever, and including an arm hingedly connected to the frame and to the link normally retaining the latter in substantially a vertical position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,182,269 Gottschall May 9, 1916 1,239,093 Ette Sept. 4, 1917 1,633,252 Hoge June 21, 1927 2,575,418 Jackson Nov. 20, 1951 2,669,212 Dean Feb. 16, 1954 

